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**Special Notice: This romance is of the darker variety, contains adult themes and sexually explicit content. The hero is flawed and dirty. Consider yourself warned**

Insomniac.
Narcissist.
Sex addict.

…the only description sex therapist, Vanessa Ferris, was given of her newest patient, a fellow psychologist, Dr. Zander Hale.

From the moment he entered her office, she knew he’d be trouble—possibly the good kind. What she wasn’t prepared for was how he’d blindside her; how he would challenge everything she thought she knew about her profession, about herself.

There are certain lines a doctor is warned never to cross with their patients, but she didn’t listen.

Now, they’re both addicted.

One hit was all it took.

***AUTHOR NOTE: “OVERDOSE” is a full-length standalone, bursting at the seams with sexual heat, thanks to one smoking hot, bad-boy and his feisty, no nonsense therapist. Expect a dark tale of erotic romance with no cliffhanger. This story is not for the faint of heart and is definitely intended for readers 18 and older.
(130,000+ words)
***TRIGGER WARNING: Please be advised, this book contains a brief, nondescript reference to sexual abuse and other violent acts that some readers may find offensive.

To receive an exclusive sneak-peek of the first two to three chapters of OVERDOSE when they’re shared next month, and to be notified when it releases with a limited time, early launch discount, click here to be added to my email list 🙂

About the Author:

A native of the Midwest, Raven has been writing for most of her life. Dreams of becoming a full-time writer seemed afar off, but she’s ecstatic to say that dream has been realized. In addition to growing her list of completed works, she also does some writing/publishing/marketing consulting on the side. With several novels already published, she looks forward to adding many more in the years to come. If you enjoy stories told from the heart with beautifully flawed characters, then she definitely has something just for you.

…and did I mention, for a limited-time, it’s only 99-pennies or FREE through Kindle Unlimited?

It’s official; my 11th book just went live this morning and I hope you enjoy getting to know Marco and Brynn through their story!!! MARCO is the first standalone in a new series I’m working on called “The Men of Indecent Exposure” and, I’m gonna be honest, I really had fun with this setting! Can’t wait to bring you the next guy’s story!

Marco and Brynn were such a pleasure to write and I can only hope that’s felt as you read. I’ve mentioned before that this is a bit of a longer read from me (400 + pages), and that’s because of the delicacy with which their plight needed to be handled 🙂 Rushing through it was simply not an option. I won’t say much more about it, but if you’re interested to find out what happened beyond chapter one… you can one-click today! When you’re done, I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts, so don’t forget to head back to Amazon and leave a review ❤

Kai carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, always putting the needs of others before his own. Angel is almost thirty and finds herself starting over in more ways than one. Both sought an outlet, a no-strings-attached arrangement to escape reality, but what happens when that fantasy becomes the realest thing they’ve ever felt?

*** DELIVERED is a standalone romance within the Free Falling Series and features secondary characters from the saga. This book can be read out of sequence of the series***

Just a few things before you check out the first chapter of the book down below 🙂

With the release of “Delivered” just around the corner, I’ve decided to share the first chapter with you this morning! I’ll be releasing this chapter *and* the second through my email newsletter, so if you’re interested in reading more after this, just subscribe here to receive Chapter 2 this coming Monday, November 24th!

❤ For those who haven’t heard yet, DLIVERED: Angel and Kai (Free Falling, #4) is a standalone within my AMBW romance series, featuring secondary characters from the saga. Book one, Gravity, is still *FREE*, so go grab a copy today! ❤

Oh! And don’t forget, the cover/trailer reveal will be December 1st, so make sure you come back to check it out 🙂

Blurb

There were three simple rules:

Be available.

Be discreet.

Don’t fall in love.

They followed them all… except one.

Kai carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, always putting the needs of others before his own. Angel is almost thirty and finds herself starting over in more ways than one. Both sought an outlet, a no-strings-attached arrangement to escape reality, but what happens when that fantasy becomes the realest thing they’ve ever felt?

*** DELIVERED is a standalone romance within the Free Falling Series and features secondary characters from the saga. This book can be read out of sequence of the series***

Chapter One

Kai

An unfamiliar number flashed across my phone and I sent the caller straight to voicemail… again. Although, there was no name to confirm, I was positive it was the blind date I stood up—the third in the last two months. Maybe now my friends’ wives, girlfriends, and whoever else, would stop trying to pair me up with any and all single women they knew.

The tall buildings and busy streets synonymous with New York City, along with the haze of colorful lights, became almost hypnotic. Swiveling the drink in my hand, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the living room window. I stood there, still clad in the white dress shirt and gray slacks I’d worn to work. I had to ask myself if this—skipping dates, working way too many hours, closing myself off—was some form of self-sabotage. Instead of meeting up with a woman who’d been described to me as “everything I could ever possibly want,” I stayed at the office until ten o’ clock tonight, working on things that could’ve honestly waited until tomorrow.

Part of what kept me after hours—or at least the excuse I let myself use—was the arrival of my new assistant in the morning. I was sure she wouldn’t be able to handle some of the harder tasks I would have otherwise handed over, so I did them myself to keep from falling behind.

With my former assistant, Carla, suddenly confined to the house, I had to scramble for a replacement. Her doctor wanted her out for the remainder of her pregnancy, followed by a three-month stint of maternity leave afterward. I admittedly had very little confidence in the newcomer. For one, everything worked out just a little too conveniently. There was a very real possibility that this woman, Angel, being a relative of my boss’ wife, might not even be qualified. How could I be sure she didn’t just get this job because she had connections?

She and I actually had a chance to meet a couple weeks ago, purely by coincidence. I stopped off to grab paperwork from my boss’ place before heading out of town on business. Little did I know, the beautiful woman who momentarily stole my focus, the one who had my palms sweating like an adolescent boy, was actually her—Angel.

There was a family gathering at the house and she happened to answer when I showed up. Had I known then the role she’d play, I wouldn’t have stared as long as I did… as intensely as I did. My eyes were all over her right up until we were introduced and I realized who she was. The last thing I wanted was for her to get the wrong idea about me or our arrangement. It didn’t matter how attractive I found her to be, didn’t matter what wayward thoughts entered my head; our relationship would never be anything but professional. Hopefully the first impression I left hadn’t skewed that.

I sipped the strong liquor in my glass again and tried to accept tomorrow’s changes. There was no time in my schedule to hold someone’s hand until they learned the ropes. Nor would I apologize for liking things done a certain way or expecting them to be done right the first time. My hours in the office, already being limited, meant efficiency was not a luxury; it was a requirement.

In the middle of my thoughts, a stray image of Angel echoed inside my head and I pushed it aside, focusing my attention on the day to come. It’d be her first and, most likely, I’d just give her busy work to keep her out of my hair. The things I called on Carla for were difficult and more often than not, she knew what I needed before I even asked. That type of intuitiveness was priceless and I was sure I wouldn’t find that anywhere else.

With how complicated my job and my personal life could get, I needed someone in place who moved when I moved, knew how to read me without me having to say a word. Carla had worked for me for almost seven years, even followed me over from my previous company. So, to say that I was dreading the upcoming transition was a huge understatement.

Just six months and it’ll all be over.

Feeling a swell of tension spread across my shoulders, I took a seat on the piano bench and continued to stare outside, gazing at the view just beyond my apartment. It was late and I should’ve been getting into bed, but my thoughts went back to the blind date I didn’t even think enough of to call and cancel with. This woman, whoever she may be, was probably better off not getting pulled into my life anyway. She couldn’t possibly know this, but by standing her up, I’d just done her a huge favor, given her an easy out. There wasn’t a woman alive who’d willingly shoulder what I brought to the table.

Not a single one.

*****

Angel

My father’s voice was not the first I wanted to hear this morning, but I knew he’d keep calling until I gave in and picked up. However, about five minutes into this call, it was clear he just wanted to give me a hard time about taking this job. In his mind, I should’ve been working with him years ago. After all, he was the one who inspired me to pursue a career in accounting in the first place. The plan was to finish school and then train under him until I was experienced enough to take on clients of my own. Well… that sounded good on paper, but I’d long since finished school and still wasn’t sure if the rest of that plan held the same appeal it once had.

My father was clearly having a hard time accepting that.

“Well, okay, Dad. Love you to pieces, but I can’t do this right now. The cab just dropped me off and I’m on my way in. Gonna have to chat later.”

He sighed into the receiver, letting me know he didn’t appreciate me dismissing him. Brushing shoulders with other pedestrians, I envisioned the scowl I knew had to be set on his mouth. I tried not to laugh.

“Love you,” I repeated to soften him up.

“Mmm hmm. I love you, too,” he finally grumbled. “I’ll be expecting that call from you later on.”

Of course he would. “I know, but aren’t you gonna wish me good luck, though?”

As much as I know he didn’t want to, he appeased me with a flat, “Good luck,” but then his attention went to my mother as she spoke in the background. When his voice came back, it was to say that Mom wanted to get a word in before he hung up.

I couldn’t help the eye roll that came with the realization that she, too, probably wanted to give me a hard time this morning. About what, I wasn’t sure exactly.

“Okay, put her on.” A brief pause on the other end gave me a moment to inhale a sharp breath as the crosswalk signal changed and I stepped off the curb.

“Morning, honey. I know you’re on your way to work, but I wanted to chat with you for a few,” she said, sounding incredibly chipper.

I gazed up at the tall building I stood in front of and nodded as if she could see me. “I’m actually here already, so I won’t be able to talk long.”

“That’s fine. I’m just checking in to see if you got that number from Sam yet.”

My stomach sank at my mother’s words. I should’ve known this was the reason she was so eager to get the phone from my father. Nearly every time we talked lately it was to bug me about getting the number for the therapist my cousin saw years ago when she faced something tragic. I didn’t need the number for Sam’s doctor, but my mother couldn’t seem to accept that answer the twenty-‘leven times she’d mentioned it before now.

“Ma, I’m—”

“Angel Corrine Hawthorne, you are not fine,” she cut in, knowing what I was about to say. “And if you don’t get that number, I promise I’ll make the appointment myself.”

How is it that my mother could still make me feel like a kid and I’m damn near thirty? She meant well; trust me I was aware of this, but I’m a grown woman who’s been handling her own business for quite some time now.

Had things been rough after my break up with Lamar? Yes, absolutely. You don’t spend three years with a man and just bounce back when it ends. To me, I should’ve been allowed to cope in my own way, though. I chose to fill the void my ex left in my life by keeping busy, which was my reason for volunteering at a local youth center a couple times a week. Some women like to talk about their feelings, share their experience with anyone who’ll listen, but that’s not me. It was hard enough living through the breakup once, so rehashing it every time someone asked what happened just didn’t appeal to me. So, for that reason, I didn’t bother with giving people the details. All anyone needed to know was that Lamar wasn’t in the picture anymore.

Period.

Case closed.

“Ma, I love you dearly, but this really isn’t the time.” I bit my tongue to keep from adding, ‘And this really isn’t your business.’

My mother fell silent on the other end of the line and I knew it wouldn’t last long. The cushion of time I left myself to get into the office and get settled before things got too crazy was slowly slipping away.

“You don’t think it’s a little strange that you haven’t talked to anyone about what happened with Lamar? I mean, one day you two are talking marriage, the next he’s gone and you won’t tell anyone why?”

‘No! It’s not strange! This is my life and I’m not about to tell you every detail of it,” I wanted to say, but I didn’t feel like having to apologize for it later. So, instead, I spoke gently to my mother.

“I just don’t want to talk about it. Don’t see the point in talking about it,” I clarified.

I knew what people thought. With how abruptly Lamar was out of my life, the women closest to me—my mother, and my cousin, Sam—assumed it was another woman. Time and time again I assured them that wasn’t the case, but I believe they still held on to that theory in the back of their minds.

Now my day was off to a sucky start. Thanks, Mom.

A polite older gentleman held the heavy, brass-framed door for me as I entered the building, mouthing a silent ‘thank you’ right after.

“I’ll stop pushing,” was my mother’s next statement. Did I believe her? Hell no; it wasn’t in her nature not to push, but I’d take it for now. I was already nervous about today and didn’t need the extra stress.

“I know it’s only because you love me,” I replied. “But I really am okay.”

An unconvinced-sounding “Mmm hmm,” was her response, and shortly after that she let me end the call like I so desperately wanted.

Veering left toward a coffee kiosk just inside the lobby, I did my best to clear my head of both conversations I had with each of my parents—about my decision to take this job and all the talk about Lamar. All that stuff was old news. It was time to try some new things, time to take steps in a new direction.

Standing in line, my stomach churned when I considered grabbing something to go with the cup of tea I planned to order. My eyes drifted toward a cheese danish in the glass display and I felt queasy again. Yeah… eating was definitely not an option, not with these nerves going haywire like they were.

While I waited to be helped, I watched the men and women pass by in their expensive suits, also noticing their equally expensive handbags and briefcases as they entered the building. While I should’ve been at ease because of the familial connection I had here—this branch of the company being run by my cousin-in-law, AJ—I felt uptight about it, actually. Being honest, I’d been second-guessing this decision almost from the beginning. Yeah, the pay was good, but so was the pay at my other job. I’d basically walked away from stability, from certainty, to take this short-term position. I couldn’t help myself, though. For months, I’d been itching for a change, which was why Sam thought of me as soon as she found out about the opening.

So many things that used to fit, things that used to make sense in my life, just stopped feeling right. It was like I woke up one day and just felt like I was in the wrong skin. Now I was anxious all the time, like I should be doing something else with my life, like I should be somewhere else, only there’s nowhere else to go.

One thing I liked about this new position was that it wouldn’t be the same thing day in and day out and I needed a little unpredictability in my life—even if this was the only way I could get it. From what I understood, the hours were kinda odd. Apparently my new boss, Kai, was in and out at crazy times of the day and night, and I had to work around that. I was okay with the schedule, but based on how rigid I heard he was, I hadn’t yet decided if we would mesh well. If not, another good thing about this job was that it’s temporary. I wouldn’t be here for more than six months.

Deciding against even the cup of tea, my eyes glanced over toward the security guards as I passed them on my left. Forcing myself to take another deep breath, I headed for the elevator. Seven floors up, I was supposed to check in with AJ and then I’d be at Kai’s mercy. I sighed at the thought of it. According to what Sam told me, I should expect him to be all business with little room for much else. I even got the impression he was skeptical about anyone other than his recent assistant being able to handle this job. I’m professional. I’m teachable, but accounting is my niche. This was all new to me, so I guess I was a bit skeptical myself.

Apparently, this girl who was in my position before was freakin’ Superwoman or something. So, not only did I have to learn this job at lightning speed, I had some pretty big shoes to fill, too.

No pressure, right?

“Perfect.” Reading the ‘out of service’ sign posted between the two elevators, my shoulders slumped. Six-inch heels and seven flights of stairs just seemed fitting, considering how wonderfully my day had already been going. “You have got to be freakin’ kidding me. Both elevators? Really?”

I’d just raked my nails over my scalp, feeling strands of my hair between my fingers, when the words, “Don’t sweat it. It should be fixed by lunchtime,” pulled me from my thoughts. The voice was very deep, equally smooth.

The statement had been spoken off to my right, so I turned that way, dropping my hand back down to my side. A set of dark, sloping eyes gazed right back at me.

Kai.

A barely-there smile softened his otherwise demure expression.

To break up the long, inappropriate stare I cast his way when I first laid eyes on him, I blinked. Kai stepped closer, wearing the hell out of a single-breasted suit, one that complimented his complexion in French-blue. I didn’t speak, drinking in every detail as we stood there—from the way his low-trimmed stubble accentuated his mouth, to the way his bronzy, sun-kissed skin contrasted the jet-black tone of his hair—freshly cut, might I add. The tailored attire hugged his torso and arms just enough, emphasizing the unmistakable divots and curvature of trained muscle beneath the sleeves. However, despite the slight bulk of his frame, his height made him appear slimmer in stature as my eyes crept up every inch of him.

Kai. I thought his name to myself again, feeling it roll off my tongue, although, I only uttered it inside my head. He struck me as the quiet, broody type—didn’t smile much either time we met, but when he did it was dim, reserved. That intrigued me.

His eyes gave away his Asian heritage and I detected a general… I don’t know… sexiness about him. I couldn’t put it to words, but it was there.

He extended his hand. “I’m not sure if you remember me, but I’m Kai. We met a couple—”

“I remember,” I cut in, offering my hand in return. How unfortunate that he, this beautiful, sexy man, was my new boss; the one Sam had warned me would be particularly hard to work for. ‘A stickler for detail and a perfectionist’ were the words she used to describe him.

The corners of his mouth lifted into a smile. Albeit a tight, hesitant one, it was a smile nonetheless.

“Angel, right?” he asked, letting my name drip from his lips. His deep voice entwined with each syllable and I couldn’t remember it ever sounding so good. Who would’ve thought hearing my own damn name would be such a turn-on?

I nodded in response, but didn’t speak.

“It uh…” He paused and ran a hand across his chin before continuing, letting his palm and fingertips graze over the dark, neatly-trimmed stubble there. “It went out late yesterday evening,” he went on, gesturing toward the sign. “Apparently, both elevators are on the same circuit or something, so when one went, the other did, too. Maintenance is usually pretty good about these sorts of things, though.”

Realizing I hadn’t yet broken my gaze, I nodded and offered a weak smile. “Oh, okay… good to know.”

“The stairs are right this way.” I zeroed in on his tanned skin and the expensive, gold watch on his wrist when his hand motioned toward the double doors at the far wall of the lobby. We were obviously headed the same way, to the same floor, so naturally we ended up walking together.

I did my best not to look Kai’s way when he held the door for me and I tried to keep that up even as we ascended the steps, but that didn’t last long because he decided to strike up a conversation.

“Nervous about today?” he asked. I got the feeling he meant for the question to come across lighthearted, easy, but it was anything but. There was a hint of tension in his voice that only added to what I was already feeling.

My eyes went his way and I started to tell him I was fine, but the honest answer slipped out instead. “Very nervous.”

Sam’s description of Kai as a boss definitely contradicted that statement, but I found myself hoping this was true.

“Well… as long as you’re okay with me asking a ton of questions while I’m learning, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

Kai didn’t respond, didn’t say a word after that. Not one, leaving me to wonder if he preferred that I didn’t bother him.

Duly noted…

We went up a few flights of stairs in silence. It was awkward enough that, more than once, I considered stopping off, using the excuse that I needed to make a quick stop in the lady’s room just so I could get away from him. Being the talkative person that I am, it always left me feeling incredibly uncomfortable when people shut down on me. And that’s exactly what Kai had done. The moment I mentioned that I might need to come to him frequently for help, he froze up. His former assistant was awesome—I got it—but did that mean he wouldn’t even give me a chance?

I recalled the vibe I felt from him the first day we met, the vibe that dissipated the moment we found out we’d be working together. Was that what this was about? The reason I detected this chill toward me? Maybe he wanted to make sure I was aware of what our boundaries were? If that was the case, he had nothing to worry about. I mean, yeah, I know I didn’t imagine the mutual attraction between us at first glance, but he wasn’t the only one who shied away from it after we were formally introduced. I had no interest whatsoever in getting involved with a man who was now “technically” my boss.

Kai stepped to the door first when we reached our floor and held it for me.

“Thank you,” I said politely as I passed through. Kai responded with nothing more than a nod.

A narrow hallway led us to a pair of frosted, glass doors that read ‘Arata’ across both in bold letters. The brief exchange with Kai on the way up here did nothing but make me even more apprehensive about this, but it was too late to turn back now. Besides, I refused to throw in the towel on this. This change could only lead to good things. Despite my nerves, I could feel it. So, taking a deep breath, I stepped into the office.

Things were still quiet and I noted that several cubicles were empty as we passed. Kai must’ve noticed the inquisitive look on my face because he explained right after.

“Most of the employees don’t arrive until nine. I just prefer to start my day early when I can. I hope that’s not a problem.”

Staying poised as I followed his steps, I shook my head. “No. This is fine. I’m an early riser anyway,” I replied. “There’s no problem.”

Another nod from the man of few words.

While he led the way, I stared at the back of his head, at the dark, silky strands he styled neatly with a little bit of product. His shoulders moved in synch with his gait and I eyed his trim frame again, immediately chastising myself for doing so.

Kai’s steps slowed and I stopped beside him, clutching my handbag. His light touch to my elbow made goosebumps prickle on my arms despite there being no actual skin-on-skin contact between us; the long sleeve of my blouse prevented it. Still, the gentleness of the gesture was a stark contrast to his otherwise stoic demeanor.

“Hahn’s office is the second door on the left,” he said, referring to my cousin-in-law by his last name again. “Come see me when you’re done,” Kai added, gesturing toward another door, the one that apparently led to his own office.

His words trailed off and his fingers slipped away from the material of my top, but I swore I still felt them lingering for a moment. He’d gone his own way, casually easing one hand into the pocket of his suit pants while the other clutched the handle of a brown, leather briefcase. He was smooth, dapper, sexy, but I wouldn’t dare let any of those things cloud my judgement.

‘Find AJ,’ I said in my head, reminding myself what I was supposed to be doing. I’d been here once after hours with Sam, so even without Kai’s help, I would’ve found my way quickly. Giving a soft knock, I was invited in by a familiar voice, one that erased a bit of the morning’s anxiety.

“Mornin’.” AJ greeted me with a smile. I entered and I barely returned the gesture as I took a seat.

Already, I got the feeling Kai and I would clash. We were very different, possibly too different to work together effectively, but it was early yet. I required an open line of communication with whomever I worked with or for. Kai, on the other hand? Definitely a lone wolf. He made it clear that he wasn’t too keen on me popping in throughout the day to get help—even though I’m hella new here.

“So… you ready to get started?” AJ asked.

A long breath left my mouth and I thought about that.

“Uh… I think so,” I replied, the sound of which made him laugh. He’d known me for nearly a decade—long enough to distinguish a lie from the truth. Before asking anything else, he stood to close the door and then came back to sit after adjusting the jacket of his black suit.

“All right. Now, what’s really up?” he asked. “It’s just us.”

My eyes went to the picture at the corner of his desk when he finished speaking, the one of my cousin, Sam, and their handsome son who was all smiles as usual. It was then that I realized… yeah, I’d essentially be working for Kai, but I was among family here as well.

One eyebrow lifted as he waited for me to answer; however, I decided against sharing my feelings, kept the fact that I was intimidated as hell by this job to myself.

I gave a nod, keeping his words in mind, and then closed his door behind me. It was time to face Kai again. When I reached his office, I lifted my hand to knock, but hesitated when I heard him speaking low.

“All right. I Love you, too,” he said to the caller on the other end.

I’d looked him over pretty well when I first laid eyes on him at Sam and AJ’s door—who the hell could blame me—and then again today on our way up here, so I knew he wasn’t wearing a wedding band. However, that didn’t eliminate the possibility of there being a girlfriend. This conversation didn’t confirm that he belonged to someone, but that was automatically where my thoughts led me… not that he was a prospect before that.

Once I heard him cradle the phone in its base, I waited another few seconds before knocking. I stepped inside when I was invited to do so. Kai’s eyes were glued to a document in his hands as I moved toward his desk. He finally looked up and I forced myself to pretend he was just an average-looking guy who wasn’t dressed to the nine, who didn’t smell like he soaked in bathwater laced with pheromones sent down directly from the heavens this morning. Nope… I had to try to think of him as just some regular guy. The fact that he intimidated the hell out of me made it a little easier, though.

Touching a finger to my hairline, I fought the urge to fan myself. Damn…who was I kidding? This man definitely wasn’t average.

“Well, I guess we’re ready to get this show on the road,” he started. “I’ll take you to your work area first, so you can put your things down.”

When he finished speaking, I nodded and then followed him back out into the main area of the office as he led the way with a relaxed saunter. We stopped at a small cubicle not too far from his door where I’d be stationed for convenience.

“There’s a cabinet right there that locks if you’d like to keep your purse or other personal belongings there,” he said, gesturing off to the left.

I nodded and accepted the key from his hand, taking advantage of the opportunity to double-check that ring finger. It was like I thought; empty.

I smiled casually and went ahead and locked up my purse. Next, Kai aimed a finger toward the cubicle beside mine. “That’s Reese’s area, Hahn’s assistant,” he said with the slightest bit of irritation in his tone. “She’s out of the office for the day, but she’s a talker. My advice: don’t let her suck you into her conversation. You’ll never get any work done that way. If she’s a problem, let me know. I’ll handle her.”

I got the impression he didn’t think very highly of this Reese, whoever she was. He was definitely all business.

“The copy room is right this way,” he said next, and I followed him again. “Oh, and I’m fine with you having access to your cell while you’re working,” he added, glancing down at his watch when the conversation paused. “You know, so you’re easily accessible if anyone needs to get in touch with you—husband, kids, whoever.”

The timing of that comment struck me as odd. If I didn’t know better, I might think he was fishing for information about me. That couldn’t have been it, though, so I dismissed the thought and replied, keeping up with the pace of his steps. “Don’t have either of those. Just lil’ old me.”

Kai’s eyes found mine when he glanced back, peering over his shoulder while we walked. Our gazes locked for a second before he turned away, but not before the brief exchange aroused a fluttery feeling in my gut.

“Well… it’s still fine to keep it handy… assuming you can even get a call through,” he went on. “Reception’s terrible inside the building, but if you do need to make a personal call, just keep it to a minimum.”

I didn’t say anything, just walked behind him in silence.

Seconds later, we approached a wooden door and Kai opened it. Plain white walls set the tone for the bleakly decorated area. There was nothing inside but three large copy machines, a fax machine, and two long, rectangular tables lined with staplers, small containers of paperclips, and other odds and ends.

“The copy room,” Kai reiterated

I nodded when he finished speaking.

“That’s pretty much it,” he concluded as we exited the small space. On the way back, he pointed out the break room and the restrooms, and then we were once again within the confines of his office.

Slowly, I crossed the room to the chair in front of his desk, and before taking his own seat, Kai removed his suit jacket, making it impossible to forget those incredibly well-defined arms as I stared at them through the light-blue dress shirt he wore.

“Now, on to the good stuff,” he joked. Or at least I think it was a joke. It was hard to tell because he spoke in the same dry tone he said everything else in. I piped up and focused, though, not wanting to miss the details of my position as he explained them—especially seeing as how he preferred that I didn’t ask for clarity later. “So, as you know, you’re replacing my assistant, Carla. Working for me, she wore quite a few hats, so I hope you don’t get overwhelmed.”

Discretely blowing a breath from my lungs, I nodded, acknowledging that I understood.

“Basically, I need you to be an extension of me—my eyes, ears, hands when I’m busy or away from the office. My plate gets kind of full, so sometimes I’ll pass things along to you that don’t require you to know much of the technical side of my job. A large part of what I do involves project management, so I’ll depend heavily on you for things like keeping an eye on budget, resource expenditure, time management. Will that be a problem?” he asked.

My heart was pounding already, but I didn’t want him to see me stressing. “No, that’s fine,” I lied.

“Good. I always leave myself a bit of wiggle room when I quote prices and timelines, but I still prefer to keep things as concise as possible. I’ve got a reputation for delivering on time and giving my clients more than what they expected. I’d like to keep it that way,” he added, attempting to soften the statement with a hard smile.

“When I don’t need you assisting me on projects,” he went on, “I may throw a presentation your way that needs fine-tuning, a proposal that needs to be finalized, but I’ll give you things like that with the details spelled out pretty thoroughly.”

‘As if that’ll help,’ I thought to myself.

“There will be day-to-day issues I’ll need you to troubleshoot so I can focus on what I have going on and there’s a weekly meeting here on Thursdays; I’ll send you my notes in an email every Wednesday. I’d like for you to organize them by subject and email them back to me, attached in document form.”

My head was spinning and I realized I should’ve brought a notebook in with me.

“Am I going too fast?” Kai asked politely.

I didn’t have the courage to tell him yes, so I lied again. “No. I can follow.”

The corner of his mouth hitched upward and he leaned back in his seat. “You’re overwhelmed,” he said, glancing down at his hands folded in his lap. “I told myself not to lay it all on you in one sitting like this; I just got ahead of myself. We’ll stop there for today and I’ll go over the rest tomorrow,” he offered, but I wouldn’t hear of it. I needed him to believe I could handle this job.

“Oh, no, it’s fine. Continue. Please.” Immediately after speaking the words, I wished like hell that he’d see through the façade and spare me, putting the rest off until tomorrow like he’d said.

Slowly, cautiously, Kai went on. “We’re pretty much done, actually. All we have left to discuss is what’ll be expected of you while I’m out of the country.”

From what I gathered, Kai was overseas every other month, sometimes more if necessary. That part had me nervous because, during those times, I’d be working on my own with very little instruction from him.

“Hahn says you already have a home office set up?” Kai asked.

“Yeah… I do.” My fingers went through my hair when I realized he wasn’t speaking right away, maybe giving me a chance to elaborate. “I um… I do some accounting on the side for my father’s firm. That’s what I majored in,” I added.

“Perfect. With a fax machine?” he asked.

I gave a nod. “Yes, I have that, too.”

He leaned back in his seat and laced his fingers together on the surface of his desk. “Well, when I’m away, I’ll send you odd jobs from time to time and there may be the occasional petty errand I need you to run—like grabbing my dry cleaning, retrieving packages that’ve been delivered to my place, collecting my mail so it doesn’t pile up—things of that nature.”

Those were the easiest of the tasks I’d been charged with. “I can do that,” I answered.

When no words passed between us, Kai smiled and I was pretty sure I was the only one uncomfortable. He was nothing but relaxed now that all my daily tasks had been conveyed.

“Any questions?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Once I got my thoughts together, I shook my head. “Not at the moment, but if anything comes to mind, I’ll…” My sentence trailed off when I remembered how he reacted to me stating in the stairwell that I’d come to him with questions. He didn’t want that, so I amended my statement. “I’ll figure it out.”

A light, easy laugh grabbed my attention, mostly because I had a hard time believing it came from Kai. It had, though. Apparently there was a sense of humor there after all.

“Listen… I didn’t mean to come across as unapproachable this morning, but I think that’s exactly the way I made you feel.”

Not wanting to confirm or deny, I said nothing.

Those piercingly deep, exotic eyes of his flashed my way when he smiled. This time, the harshness and tension wasn’t present behind them. “If you have questions, Angel, ask them. Please. I’m here to help you.”

I nodded, but still had nothing to add.

Kai shifted in his seat, leaning to one side before resting his chin on top of his fist. “This is umm… an adjustment period for me just like I’m sure it is for you. I’ve worked with Carla for years so it’s been a long time since I’ve had to learn to work with someone new.”

I could understand that and it made me feel better that he acknowledged his behavior from earlier.

“I apologize if I made you uncomfortable,” he added.

My heart leapt when his hand shot across his desk. He held it there, waiting for me to take it. “Can we start over?” he asked.

I blinked his way a few times, finding it hard not to stay fixated on that confident smile he stared at me with as if he knew I’d cave. Finally, I accepted his hand and shook it. “Sure.”

“Good. So feel free to pop in whenever you need to,” he added.

Seeing as how I wasn’t sure he really meant any of this, I hoped I still wouldn’t have to come to him about anything. Besides, he was hard to be around. It wasn’t because there was something wrong with him. I mean, yeah, I didn’t quite know how to read his personality, but it was more than that; more than feeling apprehensive in his presence. I was starting to think he wasn’t all bad and that made the good things about him harder to ignore.

He wet his mouth and my eyes were immediately drawn to the motion, observing what I believed to be soft lips.

Kai seemed surprised by my abrupt exit. “Uh… sure. I’ve already emailed you what I need done today, including flight and hotel arrangements that I need you to cancel. I was supposed to fly out to L.A. next week, but Hahn informed me today that it won’t be necessary.”

I nodded, but that was it, so Kai finished his thought, adding, “Your company email address is your first and last name @Arata.”

Without his suit jacket covering him, I had a clear view of his arms flexing with each movement as he folded them over his chest. I inched my way closer to the door. “Perfect. I’ll get on that.”

The next second I was free—free from the lustful hell I had a feeling I’d be in every time I’d be forced to dawn Kai’s office. But nope. Not only was he my boss, but I had my suspicions there might be a girlfriend, too, based on the phone conversation I overheard and I don’t get down like that. However, the sex appeal I thought had dwindled at the discovery that he might have someone in his life had clearly only been playing a cruel game of hide and seek. Now that I’d had a glimpse of a softer side of Kai, it was harder to ignore how drawn I was to him. Just like the first time we met.

That attraction hadn’t gone anywhere. In fact, I had a feeling that the longer I was around him, the worse it would get.

If that was the case, God help me…

*****

To receive chapter two in your email inbox Monday, November 24th, just click here!

I have a TON of new projects I’m working on (some secret, some that are already public knowledge) and that’s why I need you ❤

I’m looking for readers who genuinely enjoy my work to become a part of my street team. We can come up with a nifty name together once we get going, but for now I just need to know who’s with me. There will be a certain level of commitment involved–time and effort–but I am a firm believer in giving back to those who do for me.

What I’m looking for:

True fans 🙂 This doesn’t mean you have to have loved everything I’ve ever written, but I need people who “get me”. I’m looking for readers who are willing to stand behind me and help me share my work and be proud to be on this team.

Readers who I can connect with as more than… well… readers lol. We’ll be working together quite closely as a group, so I only want positive, well-meaning people on this team. Respect for one another is a requirement. Friendship is imminent 😀

People who are willing to dedicate a little of their time. This will absolutely not be anything like a full-time job, but there will be a little more effort required when I’m releasing or promoting a project. It’s like I said before, though; I always try to do for those who do for me. There will be incentives for this labor of love. Whether it be a first look at something I’m working on, first dibs on ARCs (Advance Review Copies), membership referral incentives, or small tokens of my appreciation, this will definitely not be a one-sided relationship.

People willing to share my work on their social media sites (in Facebook groups where potential readers may be, Twitter, Goodreads, and other forums). This is the meat of what I’m looking for. I need your help extending my reach.

Confidentiality. I’ll be sharing more than just release dates and promotional material with my team; I’ll be sharing tons of exclusive content, first looks at trailers and covers, and I’m sure I’ll be getting your opinions on various things of that nature. This will be a true, behind the scenes experience. For this reason, I’m looking for individuals who I can trust won’t share or “leak” anything before it’s time.

This list is not exhaustive and will probably grow and change over time, but this gives a pretty good overview of my street teams’ DNA. These are the things I need those who apply to be made of and I hope that’s you! If you think you’re interested and you honestly WANT to be a part of this group, please fill out this questionnaire and I’ll be in touch! 😀

*Note: I will be setting a membership limit because I plan to moderate this group myself for now. So once I reach that number, anyone else who applies will be kept on the list and contacted at a later date when I’m able to take on more members.*

Only four more weeks until the release of my ninth novel, “Matt & Brooklyn: A Standalone in the “Again for the First Time” Family Saga”! I’m extremely excited about this one 🙂 😀 🙂 😀 🙂 (Hence my overuse of smiley emoticons!!) If you’d like to be notified of the book’s availability on release day, click here to sigh up for my newsletter. This will ensure that you don’t miss out on the special release price of $2.99 before it’s raised!

WARNING: For anyone who has not yet finished the Free Falling series, I strongly suggest that you read no further because this excerpt contains spoilers.

Blurb:

Events and decisions of the past almost cost her everything, but she was given a second chance.

He marvels at the beautiful life that almost slipped through his fingers, vowing never to let anything come between them again.

The memory of being apart lingers with both Sam and AJ, but those days are long gone. Now that the dust has settled, all that remains is their unwavering love and an impenetrable bond many have tried and failed to break.

“Today. Tomorrow. Always.” is a glimpse into the life this couple has managed to build together and a chance to catch up with old friends you’ve grown to love throughout the Free Falling series.

A set of small hands reached up and the little guy attached to them stared at me with watery eyes. He had the hardest time accepting that I had to first put my things down before picking him up. With a fistful of my pant leg gathered in his hand to steady himself, he followed me over to the counter where I placed my keys, a few pieces of mail, and my suit jacket. This was the warm greeting he always gave when I came home from work and I found myself looking forward to it every day.

With my hands free, I stooped to take him into my arms. The second I did, a big grin spread across his face, showing off two teeth on the top and two on the bottom as his pacifier clattered to the tiled floor. Gentle pats hit both sides of my face as he gurgled a few syllables.

A sound from the living room led me in that direction, carrying Anthony with me as I left the kitchen.

“Is that mommy in there?” I asked him.

He gave a big nod.

“Good. Let’s go get her.”

Turning the corner, the sound of my steps no longer echoed throughout the house as I made it onto carpet. There, on all fours with her head and arm underneath the couch, was Sam. Whatever she was searching for, she looked good doing it.

“Now that’s what I call a greeting.”

She laughed when she heard my voice, but continued to fumble around under the couch. “Hello to you, too, and quit being nasty.”

I tilted my head to the side for a better view. “You can’t have all that in my face and expect me not to say something.”

Her laughter filled the room again as the boy and I watched, staring intently for two totally different reasons. I’m sure seeing Sam made him think of snacks and hugs and whatnot. Me? Not so much. Hugs weren’t exactly what came to mind.

“Ha! Found ‘em,” she announced, hopping up with her keys in hand. She dangled them triumphantly in my face, although I had no idea what was going on.

“Congratulations?”

She rolled her eyes at me with a grin. “Your son here is a menace to society.” Before going on, she landed a kiss on my lips and lightly pinched Anthony’s cheek. He smiled and rested his head on my shoulder, popping his thumb into his mouth in place of the pacifier he’d lost.

“Thanks to him, I’ve spent the last hour looking for my keys.”

“Nah… you have zero proof he did it,” I rebutted, defending my son despite fully believing he was responsible. He’d done the same thing to me about a week ago. I was ready to leave for work, only to find that my keys were missing. That time Sam and I found them in the back of his toy dump-truck. Since he started walking a few weeks back, things have been coming up missing left and right.

“No, no, no… don’t let that cute face fool you. The little booger stole them, and then hid them, because he enjoys seeing me search all over the house like a crazy person.”

As if he knew he was in the hot-seat, Anthony reached for his mom and she gladly accepted the tight squeeze he gave her neck, making sure he knew she wasn’t really upset. With my arms now free, I could greet my wife properly, grabbing her, pulling her close as she eased our little boy over to her hip. I sought a kiss and she gave me what I was after.

There was a high-pitched giggle and a screech off to my left as the kiss with Sam deepened, keeping it PG since we wouldn’t be getting any alone time until later tonight.

“I think he’s watching us,” Sam said breathily as her lips moved with mine.

“Let him. The boy has to learn from somewhere.”

She shoved me away a few inches when she burst out laughing. “Get your hormones in check! What’re you gonna do when our guests get here? Three whole days of no… contact.”

Did she just say three days? Since when did we start caring if someone was around or not?

“Terrell and Maisha are hardly guests; they’re family,” I countered. “And besides, with the whole… ‘kid situation’ we have going on here—” I paused to gesture toward our son. “I’m pretty sure they know we have sex.”

“AJ! Don’t say that word in front of him!” Sam screeched, trying not to smile as she covered one of Anthony’s ears with her free hand and pressed his other to her chest. “All we need is for our parents to call to talk to him and he blurts that out.”

I imagined the scenario she just described and smiled. “C’mon… Tell me that wouldn’t be funny, though.”

She couldn’t even deny it, giggling a bit at the thought. “Oh my gosh… I can’t even deal with you two right now. You’re both trouble.”

She handed my namesake back over to me, mussing his dark curls with her fingers right after. “I’ll be back in a few. My plan was to be done at the store by the time you made it home, but somebody decided to mess up my plan. I won’t mention the perp’s name, but he’s the shortest person in the room. That’s all I’m gonna say.”

A kiss went to Anthony’s cheek and then mine as Sam passed by.

I followed her with my eyes. “Need me to do anything while you’re gone? The guest room’s all set?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yup, I freshened up the sheets and everything while he napped. But if you’re looking for something to do, could you put him in the tub for me? I still have to cook when I get back and I don’t want to have to worry about it after they get here.”

“No problem.” I headed toward to the stairs to run the bathwater.

“Don’t forget to put a towel down on the floor first. You know he likes to splash,” she warned, as if I hadn’t done this a hundred times before.

“Got it.”

“And don’t forget—”

“—the faucet cover so he doesn’t bump his head. I know,” I said with a laugh, already halfway up the steps. “I’ll handle bathing the boy; you go do your thing at the store and quit worrying.”

When I turned around, she was standing in the foyer. A warm smile crossed her face as it often did when she watched me with our son. She knew I had things under control. “Ok… I shouldn’t be gone long.”

“Be careful,” I said as she turned to leave.

“I will; try to stay out of trouble. Both of you,” she called out, closing the door behind herself.

I turned toward Anthony and he smiled like he knew what was going on. I shook my head. “Geez… Mommy doesn’t let us have any fun, does she?”

With the cover reveal coming this Friday, I wanted to do a few special things this week, all of which will be focused on the Free Falling series. Today, I’m letting you all in on some things that didn’t make it into the book, scenes that changed, and characters who popped in at the last minute 🙂 Enjoy!

3) There’s still time to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway, even if you’ve already entered! The prize is a full, paperback set of the Free Falling Series!

❤ 11 Facts You Didn’t Know About the “Free Falling Series” ❤

In the first draft of Gravity, Sam wasn’t an artist. I added that in during the re-write. She just felt so… one-dimensional to me, like she just existed, so I gave her more personality during that round. Adding in her love of art was part of that rounding out process for her.

Exposed (the original draft) read very dark to me. AJ was single and cold. I hated him LOL. I nixed that version COMPLETELY (all 350+ pages of it) and started over. I’m soooo glad I did.

Kira, Kira, Kira… she was added into book two about a month before release. Yes… a month. Reina was an only child and I made the snap decision to add in a twin for her. Little did I know, she’d have such a huge impact on the story as a whole.

In the original book two, someone died.

Exposed was written in two months. Mostly because I painted myself into a corner. With the low note book two ended on, I knew I needed to put the third book out quickly. With the changes that took place in the re-write of book two (i.e. nixing the death and adding in Kira), I had no choice but to start Exposed from scratch.

There were originally 4 full-length books in this series. However, that felt like over-kill to me. It was actually about 80% complete, but I decided not to go through with it. Besides, with all the plot changes that took place during rewrites of “Secrets” and “Exposed” that book didn’t fit the series AT ALL by this point. Plus it was a continuation of the darkness of the original “Exposed” and I just wasn’t happy with it.

In the first draft of Gravity, there was a lot more detail about side characters such as Leslie and Sam’s other friends. Some of AJ’s, too, but that made it feel more like a YA novel, which wasn’t what I was aiming for. So, I went through and cut out all that felt unnecessary and just focused on the two of them.

Ugh… after publishing, I hated myself for making AJ’s real name (Anthony) and Antonio’s names so close!

The first draft of Gravity was written in 2009, but I didn’t publish it until 2013. By then I’d given it a new title.

Confession: when I started writing the book, I had NO IDEA if she’d end up with Antonio or AJ LOL. It wasn’t until I got into the characters and started really feeling the plot molding me, instead of me molding the plot, that I realized what was happening.

I didn’t realize I wanted this to be a series until about halfway through book one.

*Apologies to anyone who came here from my Facebook page expecting an excerpt. That was going to be my initial post, but I changed my mind, deciding to do that later in the week. However, the title didn’t change in the link. Didn’t mean for it to be misleading 🙂 Snippet coming soon!*

Reminder: Don’t forget to enter my Rafflecopter giveaway while there’s still time! There are multiple ways to enter and you can enter daily to better your chances!!

The Prize? A set of signed paperbacks

In celebration of the March 26th release of the Free Falling novella, “Today. Tomorrow. Always.” (available now for preorder), I’ve made the first book in the series, Gravity, FREE for a limited time! So go grab a copy today 🙂 The prices of the second and third installments (Secrets and Exposed) have also been temporarily reduced to $2.99, so now is a great time to get caught up on the series before the story concludes in a couple weeks!

❤ A big THANK YOU to all those who have followed and supported the series thus far, and THANK YOU to those who have recently decided to check out Sam and AJ’s story! ❤

I’ve got some exciting news!!! Sam and AJ’s novella, “Today. Tomorrow. Always.”, the final chapter of the Free Falling Series, is now available for pre-order for only $0.99!! The cover I have up is just a temporary placeholder until the cover reveal on Friday, March 20th, so don’t judge LOL 😀 I can’t wait to share the real deal with you, though!

For those who have not yet begun the journey through the series. don’t fret! Gravity, book one in the series, is only $0.99 as well! There’s still time to get through the first three installments before the novella is released on March 26th 😀 This series features an African-American heroine and Japanese-American hero. Feel free to check out the Pinterest board for visuals, and then once you finish with book 3, “Exposed”, check this board out 😀 WARNING: Don’t peek at it before then, because there are a few spoilers in my pins!

In the meantime, I’m posting the blurb here, AND giving all of you a chance to enter my Rafflecopter giveaway!!! There are tons of ways to enter, some of which you can participate in daily for multiple entries. Can’t wait to announce the winner on Cover Reveal Day!!

❤ Blurb ❤

Events and decisions of the past almost cost her everything, but she was given a second chance.

He marvels at the beautiful life he almost missed out on, vowing never to let anything come between them again.

The memory of being apart lingers with both Sam and AJ, but those days are long gone. Now that the dust has settled, all that remains is their unwavering love and an impenetrable bond many have tried and failed to break.

“Today. Tomorrow. Always.” is a glimpse into the life this couple has managed to build together and a chance to catch up with old friends you’ve grown to love throughout the Free Falling series.

*****

❤ THE PPRIZE ❤

(Minus my lamp lol)

❤ ENTER TO WIN TODAY (and tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day)… ❤